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Zander
The woman never did introduce herself, but that didn’t stop Zander from trying to be friendly. At first, he’d thought for sure she was Hannah. She was young and there was no ring on her finger, but the more they’d talked and the boldness in her rejection convinced him there was no way that woman was Hannah. She’d even claimed to be unavailable. Probably because she was married to Drake and he was hitting on the boss’s wife.
Nathan had described his youngest sister as shy and demure. He said she was a hard worker but not a leader and certainly not someone to bluntly reject someone who hadn’t even made any advances. Nathan had shared a lot about his family and with small questions placed here and there by Zander, Nathan didn’t stop talking. Zander had remembered everything and then some.
Zander had given the woman the impression he was interested without even trying. But he couldn’t deny her attractiveness. Honestly, Zander had no doubt a woman with her looks and personality – what he’d glimpsed so far – would be married quickly.
Assuming she was Drake’s wife – Stefanie – wasn’t a hard conclusion to come to. Nathan had described Stefanie as anything but shy and all kinds of bold. He’d even said that as much as he disliked Drake – who happened to be the brother of Nathan’s deceased wife, Emma – he didn’t wish the trouble a woman like Stefanie would bring a man. He’d relayed all that with a large brotherly grin on his face. Nathan had only been two drinks in during that conversation.
At least this one had the decency to have a flush creep up her cheeks at Zander’s words. He didn’t want to be too off-setting. Stefanie was going to be his sister-in-law someday. She just didn’t know it.
“I grabbed the new serving spoons, but I couldn’t find the tongs. Did you grab them by chance?” Another woman walked into the kitchen, her similar coloring marking her as the other woman – the sister.
She had to be Hannah.
Zander couldn’t hide his disappointment for a brief second and then covered it with a smile. The new sister who had walked in was certainly beautiful, but she didn’t warm his insides like the first one.
But he refused to be attracted to a married woman. He couldn’t help but think how grossly uncomfortable holidays would be with the family, if he was thinking of the way the sister-in-law smelled like cookies.
Desperate to be attracted to the sister he was there for, Zander smiled and turned fully toward her. He reached out to take the armful of spoons still in their wrappers. “Here, let me help. That looks like a lot.”
She shot a startled glance at his face and then past him to the other woman. Zander could almost see her guard go up – exactly what he would expect of someone who was supposed to be shy.
“Thank you.” Her reserved answer broadened his grin while sinking his heart. He didn’t want to be right. He wanted the first one, but the second one was going to be the woman he had to win over.
Why did the last sister have to be quiet and not so open? Zander would have to learn to like that. He’d thought he’d been ready for that type of personality, but the glimpse of the other sister’s attitude made him rethinking his desires.
He followed the woman he thought was Hannah to the side table with a garbage beside it. “How did a pretty thing like you, get stuck doing this?” He turned on the charm and leaned on the table while he watched her. Zander put everything into his efforts not to check on the other sister.
Oh, he was in for a long courtship.
The woman’s disinterest marked her as Hannah. The first one had announced her disinterest, but she’d been bold and honest about it. The second one was giving off her disinterest in waves and had nothing to do with actively engaging him verbally.
“Can I ask why you’re hitting on my wife?” Drake strolled into the kitchen, an amused glint in the hard challenge of his gaze.
He was giving Zander a chance to explain which most men wouldn’t. Any other man would have punched first, asked questions second – if at all.
Embarrassed, Zander stepped back from Stefanie – now he knew for sure who she was – with his hands raised palms out. “I... I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to flirt. I’m just trying to help.”
“Well, I can see how it would be confusing on her availability.” Drake approached Stefanie and took her left hand in his. “Stef, you promised you’d start wearing the ring. I didn’t buy that huge rock for you to leave it by the sink.” He spoke to her with deference as if she were the most precious thing to him.
Stefanie rolled her eyes, but nodded. “I know. Do you think I can get a plain band for working around here, though? I’m scared I’m going to lose that ring.” She scrunched her lips to the side.
“Of course. Whatever you want.” Drake leaned forward and kissed his wife’s forehead. He glanced toward the other woman Zander wasn’t ready to acknowledge as Hannah. “Hannah, did you need anything else before I let the rest of the hands in? I heard the bell, but I wanted to make sure before we converged on you.”
“I’m good. Thanks, Drake. Zander here has been helping me.” She didn’t look directly at Zander nor did she point out that they’d had a very to the point conversation.
How did he look to her now? Like he was the type to move from woman to woman probably. Great. She was exactly the one he wanted, and could even admit to a strong attraction to her and he had just pushed himself backward on his path to getting her affections.
Why hadn’t she been available? She’d claimed she wasn’t available. That was disturbing and more than a little worrisome. Did that mean she was already taken? Had he gotten there too late? Had he lost his chances with her and the family?
Zander smiled and nodded his head as he followed Drake from the kitchen and onto the veranda-style deck. A good number of the crew was already out there waiting. The setting could have been at a popular restaurant as the white tables and metal chairs overlooked a quaintly arranged garden and lawn. The house settled in sight but as if it too had grown from the ground and belonged there with the mountains in the distance as its backdrop.
Long shadows stretched the fields around them from the tree covered hills rising from the edges of the property and a soft breeze carried with it the promise of a warm evening. The western side of the state favored the scent of pine and alfalfa while Zander’s side of the state bore a subtler flavor in the air of wheat and sun.
As the men lined up to go through the buffet of delicious smelling food, Zander shuffled along with his plate, scooping from the dishes and arranging the food as he went. The golden gravy had to have been created by a magician as it had been sitting out for a while and no congealing had taken place.
As getting through the line took time, Zander continued studying his surroundings. He’d been behind the barn for the most part, getting acquainted with the tools and tasks they’d be expected to perform on a daily basis.
The house had no rundown look to it. Nathan had described Bella Acres with fondness and an aching longing, but he’d described a falling apart porch, trim that hadn’t been replaced in years, broken and cracked windows, peeling paint on everything, and a general desiccation of a well-loved ranch.
Drake had done wonders with the place and Zander could see how Drake and Stefanie were the better option for the home to so many people. Only three people lived there, but according to Nathan, everyone gathered at Bella Acres often because it was like the Montana Trails’ home base of sorts.
How long had Nathan been away? He’d never given a date or any real indication of time. Sure, he’d been with Zander at the ranch for a year now, but how long before that? His description of Hannah’s personality had been way off. Somehow Nathan had mixed up his sisters. While that change had been more in Zander’s favor than he’d wanted, at least in the long term since he was attracted to the real Hannah and not the sister-in-law he’d thought, it still put a twist into his plans.
A woman who was shy and waiting for love, waiting for her turn to get married and settle down had been the foundation in Zander’s plan to woo and marry her within six weeks.
Her determined declaration that she wasn’t interested or available complicated things. Especially, if what she said was the truth.
He needed more time to consider the situation. Calling and discussing things with Nathan was out of the question. Nathan had no idea Zander was there at his home. That was a secret Zander planned on keeping to himself for as long as possible.
Through the line, Zander grabbed a glass of lemon water with utensils and a napkin. Sitting at a side table, he dug into his dinner on his plate, taking bites of chicken and mashed potatoes in turn. As the complementary tastes astounded his taste buds, Zander slowed down to enjoy the meal more.
He’d met Hannah and she was nothing like Nathan had described. Add to that the lack of information on Hannah’s talent in the kitchen and Nathan might have been gone longer than Zander had assumed.
The cell phone he kept in his back pocket buzzed against his rear hip. The only calls he got to that number were from his foreman and only in an emergency. Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Zander stood, tucking his napkin beneath his plate and nodding at the other hand who had claimed a spot at the table. “I’ll be back, can you make sure no one moves my plate?”
The hand nodded as he tore into the white flesh of the chicken. If anyone was going to take Zander’s plate, it was probably going to be that guy.
Zander stood, leaving his plate in the care of a man who hadn’t brought a napkin or a drink with him to the table. Stepping around to the side of the barn, Zander kept the volume of his voice low.
Putting on his boss hat after trying to adapt to the employee role was a bit of a switch.
“Tommy, how goes it?” He stared off into the fading light as the sun dipped below the ridge. The colors astounded the mind, but Zander didn’t have time to dwell on the beauty of the place.
“Hey, Alex. I just wanted to touch base with you about some issues coming up this week. Also, a few of the buyers wanted to come in three weeks to check the horses, but they wanted to see you.” Tommy was upbeat but to the point. He was one of the best foremen Zander had ever watched work at Silver Spoons Ranch – either for him or for his father.
And Tommy called him Alex – the name his father had chosen for him to go by since Zander was the third in a line of Alexanders. His father, Alexander the Second, went by Al. His father, the first, went by Alex. Zander’s father had wanted that tradition carried forward as well, calling Zander Alex from the time he was a small child.
It had stuck until Zander had decided to branch out in search of the family he wanted. Things were changing and Zander had to make sure they changed the direction he wanted and not the direction someone else did.
He kicked the dirt at his feet. “Well, let them know it’s six weeks or I’ll look elsewhere for buyers. I’m selling to them as a favor. I can still go to auction.” He wasn’t going to cut his time at Bella Acres unless the world fell down around him. “I’m going to need every minute I can get here.”
“I understand, sir. With the new hires we’ve topped one-hundred-twenty-one. I’ve accepted Nathan as my second and I appreciate the suggestion. He seems to be steady and the men follow his direction well. I’ll call you Friday with an update.” Tommy didn’t voice his misgivings again about the time frame or about Zander being gone. He had spoken his mind when Zander had brought it up, concerned that it was the middle of the high season and Tommy needed Zander there. “There is that other matter we need to discuss about the gelding...”
Once Zander had said it was the only time to get hired on at a small ranch like Bella Acres and he’d explained his goal, Tommy had nodded and agreed, offering to give references to help. Tommy had been with the family long enough, he thought of Zander as a son. The feeling was mutual. Tommy also constantly prodded Zander to find a wife. Since that was the goal of this trip, Tommy didn’t argue with its necessity. He wanted Zander married and more Strong generations reared at the ranch.
He sucked up his opposition to Zander’s ways to get it done which was a good thing. Zander had a specific goal to win Hannah’s heart before he left to go back to his life. The new developments would create a harder task and Zander needed every moment he could grasp.
Hopefully, Hannah’s determined disinterest dissolved under his courting her. Zander needed her to go along with him and fall hard and fast.
So far, Zander wasn’t starting out well.